B-17 Flight

The B-17 made two flights during my visit. I've combined the photos from both flights to create a single, virtual flight.

A number of the passengers entered the bomber through the front entrance hatch via a ladder.

There was one tall, skinny teen among the passengers who stood out in the pre-flight crowd because he'd been wearing an authentic-looking bomber jacket all day, even though it was a hot August afternoon. It made you smile when you found out that he was going to be able to take a ride in the '17. He decided to forego the ladder and board the bomber as the crew might have during the war, by grabbing the doorframe and lifting his body, entering feet-first. He made it, too, but had a problem the wartime crew never suffered: As he went in, his wallet, keys, and cellphone fell out of his pockets and onto the tarmac below.